Dubai: Stepping up the battle against the Mers virus, health authorities in the UAE are now sanitising their environments with a new spray said to eliminate the virus within 30 seconds.
Last week, Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services (DCAS) announced that the US-manufactured spray will be used by its rescue workers, drivers and emergency paramedics to sanitise the DCAS premises, its ambulances and all its service stations. It announced that the disinfectant traps the Mers virus and penetrates it to effectively eliminate it.
Dr Waleed Yousuf, the visiting chairman of the International MicroSafe Medical Care Group which makes the spray, told XPRESS the aerosolic spray is approved by the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) besides the CE of the European Union.
“The technology, employed worldwide, is effective against a range of viruses including the Mers virus. It consists of using an aerosol spray device in potentially contaminated areas or environments which have a high risk of becoming a breeding ground for viruses. The spray kills these viruses in less than 30 seconds. It is as safe as sterilised water and there is no danger whatsoever to humans.”
He said long before the Mers virus scare gripped the region, Microsafe’s solutions were being used in wound treatment units internationally, including the UAE.
“We are in talks with 12 hospitals and 63 clinics in Abu Dhabi, besides other hospitals in Dubai and Sharjah to adopt our technology on a larger scale. We are also in talks to introduce the spray into the market for use in shopping malls, airports and other public places,” said Dr Yousuf.
